AROUND TOWN: Our culture is sequel crazy

By Laura Anderson

Wednesday

Feb 14, 2018 at 12:01 PM

The other day I was driving in my car, listening to the radio. During a break in the music I heard an announcer urging listeners to order tickets to “Love Never Dies” at the Boston Opera House. I’m a musical theater lover, or used to be before ticket prices skyrocketed, but I’d never heard of this particular show. The announcer continued, “Love Never Dies…the spellbinding sequel to ‘The Phantom of the Opera’!”

To which I thought, ‘There’s a sequel?’

I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. While ‘Phantom of the Opera” wasn’t my favorite musical (the top spot currently held by “The Book of Mormon”), I found it somewhat entertaining. The only thing I remember about it was the title song and the chandelier that appears to crash into the audience at the end of Act I. I thought I recalled the Phantom died at the end of the show, but the plot synopsis on Wikipedia has him mysteriously disappearing during the final moments. Of course it would be ripe for a sequel.

But just because you can make a sequel, does that mean you should?

Our culture is sequel crazy. And I’m not talking about books or programs or films that are intentionally created as a series, like “Star Wars” or Harry Potter. I’m thinking of how much I enjoyed “Pitch Perfect”, how much I cringed at “Pitch Perfect 2” and how I managed to avoid “Pitch Perfect 3” like the plague. And that’s not even scratching the surface of our sequel insanity.

Try “Friday the 13th”. I saw this movie when I was a junior in high school and loved it. Then came “Friday the 13th: Part 2”, which was good but not as good. This was followed by “Friday the 13th: Part 3” (meh) and then “Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter”. Except the final chapter wasn’t the final chapter at all because next came “Friday the 13th: A New Beginning”, “Friday the 13th VI: Jason Lives” (obviously), “Friday the 13th VII: The New Blood” (yawn), “Friday the 13th: Jason Takes Manhattan” (yes, seriously), “Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday” (define ‘final’) and last but not least (and not really last) “Jason X”. “Which one is that?” I asked my son. “That’s the one that takes place in space,” he replied. Yes. It really does. And because even space can’t snuff out the likes of Jason Voorhees, he was brought back for “Jason vs. Freddy”, sharing top billing with Freddy Krueger who has his own franchise of “Nightmare on Elm Street” films. Seven of them. Including one called “The Final Nightmare” which, as you might have guessed, wasn’t final at all.

Now obviously films like this or the more recent “The Fast and the Furious” franchise (eight films and counting) or “Transformers” (five) are just money grabs. The first film is a blockbuster so why not continue the story and make a second, a third, or a fourth, because as long as the dollars are rolling in, why not?

Why not? Because sometimes the story just ends. Sometimes we just need to let whatever we’ve just read or watched live in our minds and our hearts and our imaginations. Do we really need to know whether Scarlett O’Hara figured out a way to get Rhett Butler back? Do we need a prequel to find out why Charles Foster Kane loved Rosebud so much? Can’t we just imagine Elizabeth Bennett and Mr. Darcy living happily ever after?

I consider “The Shawshank Redemption” to be a perfect film made from a perfect story. However, in the book, Red hops on a bus, just as Morgan Freeman does in the film, and says, “I hope I can make it across the border. I hope to see my friend and shake his hand. I hope the Pacific is as blue as it has been in my dreams. I hope.” And that’s where it ends. We never know if Red’s hopes come true. But the film ends with Morgan Freeman on a wide stretch of sandy beach, walking slowly towards Tim Robbins’ Andy Dufresne. It was sweet to see the two reunited, but I actually prefer the book’s ambiguous ending.

The book, “Me Before You” by JoJo Moyes is another example. It was a beautiful story about a woman who falls in love with her employer, a quadriplegic. I won’t ruin the end but I loved the book, and when the sequel—“After You”— came out, I couldn’t wait to read it. In truth, it was a bit of a let down. Now the first story will forever be tainted by the second. “To Kill a Mockingbird” is brilliant but Harper Lee’s other book, “Go Set a Watchman”, which continues the story of several main characters, was awful. Why can’t we just let the story end?

Which brings us back to “Love Never Dies”, in which the Phantom rears his disfigured head once again. Was anyone really wondering what happened after the events of “Phantom of the Opera”? Did people leave the theater humming the iconic song musing about whether Christine and Raoul lived happily ever after? And if so, and this is just one more in a long line of pointless sequels, I have to wonder, what’s next?

“Titanic 2: Electric Boogaloo”?

Happy Birthday Lisa

I want to wish my good friend, Lisa Van Lare, a very happy birthday today, February 14. It’s not easy celebrating a birthday on a major holiday, as anyone with a Christmas, Thanksgiving or New Year’s birthday will tell you. Yet Lisa accepts it all with her typical good grace. Here’s wishing Lisa a wonderful year ahead with lots of love and happiness. I know her husband Mike, son Griffin and daughter Tasha will echo that sentiment.

Fancy February Footwork

If your goal is to have a fun February vacation, you should know Hanover High School Soccer is sponsoring a 3 on 3 Indoor Soccer tournament over February vacation. The tournament will be held Friday, Feb. 23 from 2-5 p.m. at Soccer Etc., 285 Circuit St. Players in grades 3-6 are eligible to register and will be placed on teams by age group (Grade 3/4 and 5/6 together) Please register as an individual and players will be placed on teams. All teams will be coached by HHS soccer players. Guaranteed 3 games with the top teams advancing to playoff round. Prizes will be awarded to the winning team. Register on the HYAA website if you are interested in participating. Cost is $25 per person and registration closes Feb. 19. Space is limited to 24 players per age group. Questions may be directed to Dave Bristol at dbb.brisbros@comcast.net.

Newest NHS Members at BC High

Congratulations to BC High juniors Liam Durkin, Cameron Graney and Brian McCrann, three of the 128 students inducted into the Robert J. Fulton, S.J. chapter of the National Honor Society at the Hunter-Fahey Commons on Jan. 25. Mr. Michael McGonagle ‘70, Vice Principal for Ignatian Mission & Identity, opened the proceedings with a prayer. Then the Boston College High Concert Band played the National Anthem. National Honor Society Officers welcomed the guests and spoke about the pillars of excellence that guide the work of the Society: scholarship, character, leadership and service.

NHS Moderator Jennifer Ehalt, Associate Director of Admissions, welcomed the new members and guest speaker, Elizabeth O’Donnell, BC High English teacher, delivered a brilliant address to the group. New members received congratulations and certificates. Earlier, the inductees received gold NHS pins that were worn on their jacket lapels during the ceremony. Congratulations to these three fine young men on their well-earned achievements.

Big Smile Now!

Each February the American Dental Association sponsors and celebrates National Children’s Dental Health, which teaches the public about oral health in early childhood. National Children’s Dental Health month began as a one-day event in Cleveland, Ohio on Feb. 3, 1941 and has since turned into a national observance of oral health for the month of February. This year the theme is “Choose Tap Water for a Sparkling Smile”, which educates families about the oral health benefits of fluoride tap water. Artistic Dentistry of Hanover, in conjunction with the American Dental Association, will conduct children’s dental programs for the month of February. For the past 30 years Dr. Albert Pizzi, Dr. Kevin Pizzi and Dr Mark Donelan have taught the importance of good oral health and nutrition. This year the program will include first grades in Hanover and Norwell and several preschools in the area. The Super Smile Team made up of doctors, hygienists and dental assistants will visit close to 1,000 children. They will demonstrate brushing and flossing with their puppets Gina, Darlene and Big Al. Videos will be shown and the children will be taken on a virtual grocery-shopping trip to help them choose proper foods and drinks to create a healthy smile. In addition, each child will be given a Dental Goodie Bag, which contains a new toothbrush, toothpaste and dental floss. The office also is conducting a Bright Smiles Coloring Contest and winners will be chosen at the presentation. Winners will be presented with a new power toothbrush. The philosophy of the practice is to educate the community, especially the children at a young age, about the importance of proper dental health and regular dental visits.

The dental office has been in practice for over 50 years and welcomes any concerns regarding the education of your children in relation to their dental health. Questions may be directed to Kim, RDA, dental health co-coordinator and office manager at 781-878-7333. To learn more about Artistic Dentistry of Hanover you may visit them at artisticdentistryhanover.com or like us on Facebook.

It’s Scholarship Season

The Hanover Woman’s Club, Juniors, along with the Hanover High School Guidance Department, has compiled their annual booklet of scholarships available to graduating high school seniors. Each year many local groups and organizations award scholarship assistance to Hanover students. A listing of the many scholarships available is in booklet form and includes eligibility, guidelines and application procedures for each scholarship. The scholarship information is available to any senior student attending Hanover High School or any private high school. The scholarship booklet will be available mid February just prior to February vacation and can be accessed online at hanoverschools.org/highschool/guidance.

The Hanover Woman’s Club, Juniors has been compiling and offering a scholarship booklet for over 30 years, awarding scholarships to deserving senior students. This year, three scholarships will be available through the club in the areas of Arts, Achievement and Nursing. The Achievement scholarship weighs heavily on Community Service in addition to academic achievement. The Arts division is available to those students who are focusing on the fine arts, dance, music, drama etc. The Nursing Scholarship is in memory of a long time member and past club president, and will be awarded to a student whose interest is in the field of nursing. The club encourages students to apply for any and all scholarships for which they are eligible and wish all seniors the best in their quest for higher education. For more information contact Mia Gallagher at the HHS Guidance department.

That’s all for this week. Please send me your birthdays, anniversaries, birth announcements, military news, honor roll and other important accomplishments. You can reach me at lauraanderson1963@yahoo.com or call me at 781-826-5958.